WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – No. 20/23 Monmouth football claimed two Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Football weekly awards Monday, as redshirt freshman running back Kenny Smith Jr. was named Rookie of the Week and true freshman linebacker Jaylen Carter earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors following the Hawks' 42-21 road victory at New Hampshire.
 
Smith Jr. turned in a career-best performance in the win, rushing for 175 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. He added a 14-yard reception to finish with a game-high 189 all-purpose yards. Smith Jr. scored on a six-yard run in the first quarter and broke loose for a 27-yard touchdown in the third, setting career highs in rushing attempts, yards and touchdowns.
 
The Sicklerville native helped lead a Monmouth ground attack that totaled a season-high 326 yards. Smith Jr. and fellow running back Elijah Jennings, who rushed for his own career best 126 yards, became the first pair of Hawks to surpass 100 rushing yards in the same game since Monmouth faced Fordham in 2024.
 
"Kenny made a big impact both running the ball and catching the ball out of the backfield," Monmouth head coach Jeff Gallo said. "Kenny mixed hard runs with explosive runs and had some big conversions to keep drives moving."
 
Carter made an impact on special teams in the first quarter, blocking a New Hampshire punt to give Monmouth excellent field position. The Hawks capitalized shortly afterward with a touchdown to take a 14-0 lead, helping set the tone in a game Monmouth led 28-0 at halftime.
 
The Stafford, Va., native's block marked Monmouth's first blocked punt since 2021.
 
"Jaylen made an early impact in the game blocking the kick," Gallo said. "His efforts gave the offense great field position, which led to our second touchdown of the game."
 
The awards mark a pair of individual honors for the Hawks following their fourth consecutive CAA victory. Monmouth improved to 5-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play with the win over the Wildcats.
 
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Oct. 24, traveling to Hampton for another CAA matchup looking for their sixth straight win over an FCS opponent.

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